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Force vet a real high flyer!
 Former ACP John Browett |
What do officers do after retirement? Open a small business? Play a little golf and do a little fishing? Well, yes. But if you're former Assistant Commissioner of Police John Browett, you can add skydiving to the TOP of the list!
At 74, John is a familiar, friendly face around international skydiving meets, logging well-over 500 jumps in only nine years.
OffBeat recently caught up with "Old Man John" as he's known in the skydiving fraternity, through a tip from Detective Inspector Mark Duncan of Sha Tin Criminal Investigation Department.
The pair literally bumped into each other at a skydiving meet in the United States in August, barely moments before leaping from an aircraft! "Iwas delighted to meet Mark both as a skydiver and as a serving police officer of the Force.
"However, I have not yet met anyone else from the Force who skydives," John said, speaking of his Police career and present forays into skydiving with a passion.
He retired in June 1975. He joined the Force March 1949, arriving in Hong Kong from his hometown of Devon in the United Kingdom after stints in the British Army and Royal Air Force.
He speaks great praise of the Force and of his former subordinates who later rose through the ranks.
"At no time did I ever not feel like going to work. I enjoyed every moment of my service, good and bad, coupled with the pleasure of being part of the close-knit community within Hong Kong. "I was permitted a brief stewardship of one of the best police forces anywhere," he said.
"[Former Commissioner] Li Kwan-ha served with me as did many others now holding senior posts. [Present Commissioner] Eddie Hui, although we did not serve together, was well-known to me also. I am most proud to have served with them." He retired and moved to South Africa, opening a small business and doing security consultancy work while keeping outdoor activities to simple things like golf and fishing. That is, until the skydiving bug bit in 1990.
"Skydiving was not a sport in Hong Kong during my service. There was not much time for adventurous activities as being in the Force was adventurous enough!"
He's since clocked up 545 jumps, including six hair-raising "reserve rides" where the main chute is cut away and the reserve is deployed. One incident broke his leg and his last white-knuckle reserve ride happened only a few weeks ago.
He said his most thrilling skydives included jumping from a 727 jet at 230-knots, jumping with his son marking 100 years of age between the pair, and jumping with members of the South African national skydiving team.
"I guess the most radical jump was in Spain when I had a malfunction and deployed my reserve when I was still unstable which is not recommended. The force of the opening, coupled with my body position at that moment, broke my leg just below the knee.
"However, it did a lot to focus my attention on all the correct procedures from then, right down to the ground!"
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